Swine flu deaths go up in India

More people have died in India, as a result of the Swine flu. The death toll has risen to 6.

Six patients are reported to be in a serious condition in the western city of Pune, which has recorded more cases than anywhere else in India.

There is a real fear amongst the schools that the children could contract the flu, so they have shut down a few schools as a precautionary measure.

Officials say there are more than 800 cases of the H1N1 flu strain in India.

The virus is thought to have killed almost 800 people around the world.

Over the weekend, three people died of the flu in western India - a 43-year-old businessman who was visiting Ahmedabad city in Gujarat state; a 42-year-old teacher in Pune city; and a 53-year-old woman in Mumbai city.

Last Monday, a 14-year-old girl became the first person in the country to die of swine flu.

Rising concerns

Health officials say that the country had enough stocks of the anti-flu drug Tamiflu.

However, panic is growing among the people with swine flu deaths making it to the front pages of newspapers and main TV news.

In Delhi, where some 228 cases have been confirmed, health officials say that the people are panicking "because the symptoms of swine flu and common influenza are similar".

As the number of flu deaths rise in the country, health officials have asked people not to panic.

Indian PM Manmohan Singh has asked the health ministry to step up preparedness against the disease and coordinate with state governments to help stop the disease spreading.

Last week, the World Health Organization announced that the first swine flu vaccines are likely to be licensed for use in the general population in September.

The swine flu (H1N1) virus first emerged in Mexico in April and has since spread to 74 countries.

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